Ditch the bread and go casserole style instead, all the flavors of a Cubano sandwich, none of the carbs. Keto Cuban casserole is meaty, cheesy, and has a sauce good enough to lick off the plate.
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I use leftover pulled pork here instead of roasted pork, but feel free to swap in your favorite. Swiss cheese, salty ham, tangy pickles, and a robust mustard sauce come together beautifully.
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Chef Jenn’s Take on Cuban Casserole
Do not be put off by cooked pickles, even the tangiest, strongest ones mellow out and get a lovely, almost sweet flavor once baked, while keeping some crunch.
Mix the pulled pork with the cream and mustard in a skillet, heat until just starting to boil, then turn off the heat. Fold in half the cheese, half the ham, and half the pickles right there in the skillet. Pour into the casserole dish, top with the remaining cheese, ham, and pickles, and bake until hot and bubbly. Make the sauce separately, mayo, cream, Dijon, and yellow mustard, then pipe it in a zig-zag with a plastic bag with the corner snipped off, or just dollop it onto each serving. Use a strong, real dill pickle here, not relish, you genuinely need the big chunks for full flavor.
Leftover roast pork works in place of pulled pork, just chop it small. Use good-quality, not-too-salty ham, deli ham works in a pinch. Not a Swiss fan? Try gouda or jack instead. This can be assembled ahead and refrigerated, then baked when ready. I make big batches of pulled pork specifically to freeze portions for recipes like this one.
What You’ll Love About Cuban Casserole
- A genuinely great way to use up leftover pulled pork or roast pork.
- All the flavors of a Cubano sandwich, no bread required.
- A sauce good enough to lick off the plate.
Ingredients
- Leftover pulled pork – Or thinly sliced and chopped roasted pork.
- Heavy whipping cream – Full fat, divided between the filling and the sauce.
- Dijon mustard – Divided between the filling and the sauce.
- Swiss cheese – Divided. Gouda or jack work as substitutes.
- Dill pickles – Chopped, divided. Use a strong, real dill pickle, not relish.
- Ham – Diced, divided. Good-quality, not-too-salty deli ham works in a pinch.
For the sauce: (Optional)
- Mayonnaise – Your favorite keto-friendly brand.
- Heavy whipping cream – A small amount.
- Dijon mustard and yellow mustard – Standard pantry staples.
How To Make Cuban Casserole
Scroll down for the full recipe card with exact measurements and printable instructions.
Mix the leftover pulled pork with the cream and mustard in a large skillet. Heat it through until just staring to boil. Turn off the heat.
Fold in half the Swiss cheese, half the ham, and about half the pickles. Check for seasoning and add a touch of salt and pepper if necessary.
Put the pulled pork mixture into the bottom of an 8 x 8 (or similar sized) oven-safe casserole. Top the casserole with the remaining cheese, the ham, and the rest of the pickles.
Bake at 400-F for about 15 minutes or until it is hot and bubbly.
For the sauce, combine the mayonnaise, cream, and both mustards in a small bowl and mix well. Add a dollop of sauce to each serving, or pipe it over the casserole in a zig-zag pattern using a plastic bag with the corner snipped off.
Make It A Meal
Keep the sides light with this rich, hearty main; Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus is a great match. Use your own Keto Pickles in this recipe, and try Keto Pulled Pork if you don’t have leftovers on hand.
For more casseroles, Pizza Casserole is worth adding to the rotation.
Storage
This can be frozen, though the ham and pickles release more liquid once thawed and the texture turns a bit soupy, still fine to eat, drain extra liquid if it bothers you. Chill fully, package in an airtight container, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge or microwave, then reheat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, they sure can be! Pulled pork, if rubbed with a sugar-free rub and with no sugary sauce on it is totally keto. So a casserole dish like this is an amazing leftover pulled pork recipe.
It’s got my own personal spin on it, Chef Jenn style, so no it’s not quite the same. And, I’ve included directions for using a regular casserole pan because not everyone has cast iron.
Pick a big dill pickle and cut it into 1/4-inch cubes.
Add Preferred SourceCuban Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 cups pulled pork unsauced
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups Swiss cheese divided
- 1 cup diced ham divided
- 1 cup chopped dill pickle divided
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
For the sauce
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1` tablespoon yellow mustard
Instructions
- Combine the pulled pork, cream and mustard in a skillet. Heat over medium heat until heated through and just starting to boil. Turn offtthe heat.
- Add about half the cheese, half the ham, and half the pickle. Stir well to combine. Season with salt and pepper if necessary.
- Put the pulled pork mixture into a casserole dish and top with the remaining cheese, the rest of the ham, and the last of hte chopped pickle.
- Bake at 400-F for about 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
For the sauce:
- Combine the mayonnaise, cream and mustard in a small bowl and mix well.
- Add a dollop of the sauce to each serving. Or, put the sauce into a small zipper-top bag and seal it. Cut one of the bottom corners of the bag off, and squeeze the sauce out of the bag onto the casserole in a zig-zag pattern.
Notes
Recipe Card Tips
- Use a real, strong dill pickle rather than relish, you need the big chunks for full flavor.
- Fold in only half the cheese, ham, and pickle to start, saving the rest for topping.
- Make the sauce separately and pipe or dollop it on right before serving.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed. Erythritol carbs (sugar substitutes) are not included in the carbohydrate counts as they have been shown not to impact blood sugar, and they have zero calories and zero carbs. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
More Easy Keto Recipes
Want even more keto deliciousness? I’m always in the kitchen creating new dishes, but these are some of my favorites:
- Pizza Casserole
- Crack Cauliflower
- Beefy soup
- Grilled veggies
- Southwestern Beef Casserole
- and if you need help counting carbs, check out this easy peasy net carb calculator.
1
This casserole sounds so flavourful and delicious and I love that it is keto too! A new favourite.
So many incredible flavors packed into this casserole! I love how easily it comes together in just 30 minutes. Yum!
What a great idea to make a casserole and ditch the bread! I know my family will love this. Thank you!
This was delcious and such a fantastic idea for busy working moms like me! thanks
This casserole looks amazing and so delicious! Sounds like such a yummy and flavorful dinner! Excited to make this!
ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS & EASY recipe!!!
I didn’t have exactly as Jenn wrote so we used what we had – a jar of dill relish just was NOT the same as having the big chunks of dill pickels – casserole was excellent, but next time we will have the biiiig pickels!
We had leftovers (just two of us) so used egglife totilla looking things and made wraps the next 2 days – oh so yum even when cold!
Great recipe & we will be making this again & again!
Thank you Jenn!
Oh and the sauce — we used it as a spread day 2 & 3 for the wraps – YUMMY! Still had some left over so hubby speard it over burgers – yummy-yummy!
I’m so glad you loved it! Thanks for taking the time to come by to comment! ~Jenn
I love this casserole! It just came out of the oven. I love the tangy flavor married with the Swiss cheese and the pig. I added the sauce. I did add a layer of riced cauliflower from Costco to the bottom of the casserole (after drying it in the oven for an hour or two, but you can also do this in the fridge overnight) and I extended the baking time by 40 minutes to get rid of the liquid from the pickles (reduced heat to 170 F).
Because I made the pulled pork from scratch, this doesn’t come together in only 30 minutes as one commenter said. It took me 3.5 hours to do the pulled pork, and then maybe 20 minutes to assemble the casserole, plus 1 hour baking time. But most of that time, you don’t need to be in the kitchen. If you buy plain pulled pork from the store, that would make this so quick to get ready.
This casserole is SUCH a refreshing change from the hamburger casseroles always dominating the search results when you search for new keto casserole recipes. Thank you for posting this!!! I am adding this to my rotation.
Wow, with homemade pulled pork, I BET this tasty casserole is even better! Thanks for stopping by to share your comments and I’m so glad you loved the recipe! ~Jenn
Outstanding and easy to fix.
I’m glad you loved it! Thanks for coming by to comment 🙂 ~Jenn
This looks fabulous and I plan to serve it as a dish for Easter with quality bread on the side for those who aren’t Keto so they can make it into a sandwich. Can I make this ahead of time and bake on the day or should it all be put together in the same go-around?
It can totally be made ahead of time. Assemble, pop it into the fridge, then bake and eat! ~Jenn
Had leftover pulled port, and I love cuban sandwiches. Cant wait , low carb deliciousness is in the oven.
What a great use of leftover pulled pork! ~Jenn
This was so great and an amazing way to use up leftover pulled pork and ham. Even my picky kids liked it
I’m so glad you all loved it! This is one of my faves…it’s so darn good! Thanks for coming back to comment! ~Jenn